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The Transportation Ministry has intensified coordination with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to anticipate the impact of extreme weather during the holiday period.

"Due to the high increase in passengers and the potential for extreme weather, which can endanger travel safety during the Christmas and New Year holiday this time, we will continue to coordinate intensively," Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said here on Thursday.

A surge in public mobility and bad weather during the holiday period have been predicted in several areas, including West Java province, Central Java province, Sunda Strait, Bali Strait, and Lombok Strait.

The minister said that recommendations for mitigating the impact of the weather conditions are urgently needed by his ministry as well as transportation facility and infrastructure managers for issuing transportation policies, such as delaying or canceling flights or shipping.

“We really need this recommendation to provide a warning (to transportation mode managers and passengers). When the weather is declared unfavorable and could endanger travel safety, we will issue a policy to postpone trips until the weather become better," he added.

In addition, Sumadi will coordinate with regional heads, especially the ones experiencing a surge in public mobility, to ensure greater alertness against weather dynamics.

“Due to the (bad) weather, a number of transportation incidents have occurred. Hence, we ask the director generals (at the ministry) to apply stricter policies, for example, limiting vehicles carrying certain loads or canceling trips for the sake of public safety," he said.

During the same meeting, head of the BMKG, Dwikorita Karnawati, said that based on the weather forecast for the period from December 29, 2022, to January 1, 2023, there is a potential for moderate to very heavy rain in the Greater Jakarta area.

"Tomorrow (December 30), the potential for rain with heavy to very heavy intensity will occur in most areas of Greater Jakarta. Meanwhile, on the day after tomorrow (December 31) and January 1, 2023, the rain intensity will be light to moderate," she informed.

Meanwhile, BRIN head Laksana Tri Handoko said that his agency has used Weather Modification Technology (TMC) to reduce the intensity of rainfall.

"We have conducted (cloud) seeding in a number of areas since December 25 to December 28, 2022, and will continue (to do it) until early January 2023," he informed.

Furthermore, head of the BNPB, Lieutenant General Suharyanto, said that the TMC can be implemented when a local government declares an emergency situation.

"If an emergency situation has been declared, the TMC team will quickly carry out (cloud) seeding operation by plane," he added. (antaranews)